Bhuchung D Sonam interacting with school students during a workshop on creative writing at the Upper TCV School, Dharamshala on August 1, 2012. (Phayul photo/Phuntsok Yangchen)

DHARAMSHALA, August 1: Some of exile Tibetan community’s most celebrated writers today gave a day-long workshop on creative writing in English to the senior students of the Upper Tibetan Children’s Village School, Dharamshala.

Noted writer, Bhuchung D Sonam, who recently launched his latest book, “Yak Horns,” a collection of essays on contemporary Tibetan arts and social issues, along with writer and poet Tsering Wangmo and activist and poet Tenzin Tsundue shared their experiences with the students.

This was the first time that the School had organised a creative writing workshop.

“We have been thinking of organising such a workshop because of the student’s lack of interest in reading and writing in English,” said Ngawang Lhamo, Assistant Headmistress. “The workshop has been especially helpful as all the three writers are from TCV and are like role models and inspirations for our students.”

Students actively participated in writing poems with Tsundue and interacted with the other writers on a wide range of topics.

Tsering Youdon, a class XI Arts told Phayul that the workshop was “really good” and learning the art of writing poems was “very interesting.”

Thupten Dorjee, a Class XI Commerce student was overjoyed after writing a poem with Tsundue.

“All the students wrote a poem with Tsundue la. Normally it is difficult to write a poem but today I have learnt that we can easily write poems once we start writing it,” Dorjee said.

Bhuchung later told Phayul that writing and telling stories play an important part in sustaining the exile Tibetan community.

“Writing and telling our story is important. Being Tibetans, we have to tell our stories,” Bhuchung said. “This is one way through which we can sustain and promote ourselves as an exile community.”

The writer also encouraged organising such workshops in Tibetan and other languages.

Plans of organising similar workshops in other TCV schools are in the pipeline.